2 Samuel 17

1 Derpaa sagde Akitofel til Absalom; »Lad mig udvælge 12 000 Mand og bryde op i Nat og sætte efter David.

Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.

2 Naar jeg overfalder ham, medens han er udmattet og modfalden, kan jeg indjage ham Skræk, og alle hans Folk vil flygte, saa at jeg kan fælde Kongen uden at røre nogen anden;

I will attack him while he is weak and weary; I will throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will flee; I will strike down only the king

3 saa bringer jeg hele Folket tilbage til dig, som en Brud vender tilbage til sin Mand. Du attraar jo dog kun en enkelt Mands Liv, og hele Folket vil da være uskadt!«

and bring all the people back to you as a bride returning to her husband. You seek the life of only one man; then all the people will be at peace.”

4 Det Forslag tiltalte Absalom og alle Israels Ældste.

This proposal seemed good to Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

5 Men Absalom sagde: »Kald dog ogsaa Arkiten Husjaj hid, for at vi ogsaa kan høre, hvad han raader til!«

Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has to say.”

6 Da Husjaj kom ind, sagde Absalom til ham: »Det og det har Akitofel sagt; skal vi følge hans Raad? Hvis ikke, saa sig du din Mening!«

So Hushai came to Absalom, who told him, “Ahithophel has spoken this proposal. Should we carry it out? If not, what do you say?”

7 Husjaj svarede Absalom: »Denne Gang er Akitofels Raad ikke godt!«

Hushai replied, “This time the advice of Ahithophel is not sound.”

8 Og Husjaj sagde fremdeles: »Du ved, at din Fader og hans Mænd er Helte, og bitre i Hu er de som en Bjørn paa Marken, hvem Ungerne er taget fra; desuden er din Fader en rigtig Kriger, som ikke lægger sig til Hvile om Natten med Folkene.

He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops.

9 For Øjeblikket holder han sig sikkert skjult i en Kløft eller et andet Sted; falder der nu straks i Begyndelsen nogle af Folkene, vil det rygtes, og man vil sige, at Absaloms Tilhængere har lidt Nederlag;

Surely by now he is hiding in a cave or some other location. If some of your troops fall first, whoever hears of it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’

10 og da bliver selv den tapre, hvis Mod er som Løvens, forsagt; thi hele Israel ved, at din Fader er en Helt og hans Ledsagere tapre Mænd.

Then even the most valiant soldier with the heart of a lion will melt with fear, because all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man who has valiant men with him.

11 Mit Raad er derfor: Lad hele Israel fra Dan til Be'ersjeba samles om dig, talrigt som Sandet ved Havet, og drag selv med i deres Midte.

Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, and that you yourself lead them into battle.

12 Støder vi saa paa ham et eller andet Sted, hvor han nu befinder sig, kan vi falde over ham som Dug over Jorden, og der skal ikke blive en eneste tilbage, hverken han eller nogen af alle hans Mænd;

Then we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. And of all the men with him, not even one will remain.

13 men kaster han sig ind i en By, skal hele Israel lægge Reb om den, og vi vil slæbe den ned i Dalen, saa der ikke bliver Sten paa Sten tilbage af den!« Da sagde Absalom og alle Israels Mænd: »Arkiten Husjajs Raad er bedre end Akitofels!«

If he retreats to a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a pebble can be found.”

14 HERREN havde nemlig sat sig for at gøre Akitofels gode Raad til Skamme, for at HERREN kunde bringe Ulykke over Absalom.

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.

15 Derpaa sagde Husjaj til Præsterne Zadok og Ebjatar: »Det og det Raad har Akitofel givet Absalom og Israels Ældste, og det og det Raad har jeg givet.

So Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, “This is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have advised.

16 Skynd eder nu at sende Bud til David og bring ham det Bud: Bliv ikke Natten over ved Vadestederne paa Jordansletten, men søg over paa den anden Side, for at ikke Kongen og alle hans Folk skal gaa til Grunde!«

Now send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but be sure to cross over. Otherwise the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.’”

17 Jonatan og Ahima'az stod ved Rogelkilden, hvorhen en Tjenestepige til Stadighed kom og bragte dem Melding, hvorefter de gik hen og bragte Kong David Melding; thi de turde ikke vise sig i Byen.

Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, for they dared not be seen entering the city.

18 Men en ung Mand opdagede dem og meldte det til Absalom; saa skyndte de sig begge bort og kom ind hos en Mand i Bahurim. Han havde en Brønd i Gaarden, og i den steg de ned;

But a young man did see them and told Absalom. So the two left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it.

19 Konen tog et Tæppe, bredte det ud over Brønden og hældte Korn derpaa, saa at man intet kunde opdage.

Then the man’s wife took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well, scattering grain over it so nobody would know a thing.

20 Nu kom Absaloms Folk imod i Huset til Konen og spurgte: »Hvor er Ahima'az og Jonatan?« Konen svarede: »De gik over Vandbækken!« Saa søgte de efter dem, men da de ikke fandt dem, vendte de tilbage til Jerusalem.

When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” “They have crossed over the brook,” she replied. The men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.

21 Saa snart de var gaaet bort, steg de to op af Brønden og gik hen og bragte Kong David Melding; og de sagde til David: »Bryd op og skynd eder over paa den anden Side af Vandet; thi det og det Raad kom Akitofel med angaaende eder!«

After the men had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed up out of the well and went to inform King David, saying, “Get up and cross over the river at once, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.”

22 Da brød David op med alle sine Folk og satte over Jordan; og ved Daggry manglede ikke en eneste, alle var de kommet over Jordan.

So David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was no one left who had not crossed the Jordan.

23 Men da Akitofel saa, at hans Raad ikke blev fulgt, sadlede han sit Æsel og drog hjem til sin By; og efter at have beskikket sit Hus hængte han sig og døde. Han blev jordet i sin Faders Grav.

When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his affairs in order and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.

24 David havde naaet Mahanajim, da Absalom tillige med alle Israels Mænd gik over Jordan.

Then David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.

25 Absalom havde i Joabs Sted sat Amasa over Hæren; Amasa var Søn af en Ismaelit ved Navn Jitra, som var gaaet ind til Abigajil, en Datter af Isaj og Søster til Joabs Moder Zeruja.

Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab.

26 Og Israel og Absalom slog Lejr i Gilead.

So the Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

27 Men da David kom til Mahanajim, bragte Sjobi, Nahasj's Søn fra Rabba i Ammon, Makir, Ammiels Søn fra Lodebar, og Gileaditen Barzillaj fra Rogelim

When David came to Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim.

28 Senge, Tæpper, Skaale og Lerkar; og Hvede, Byg, Mel, ristet Korn, Bønner, Linser,

They brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,

29 Honning, Surmælk, Smaakvæg og Komælksost bragte de David og hans Folk til Føde; thi de tænkte: »Folkene er sultne, udmattede og tørstige i Ørkenen.«

honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The people have become hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”